The 6-Series is still an excellent car with the looks and chassis to compete at the top of this crowded segment.

6th Dec 2007

What we say:

BMW's enormous GT is best seen as a continent-crosser rather than the dynamic sports car many expected

What is it?

BMW’s enormous GT that’s best seen as a continent crosser rather than the dynamic sports car many expect. Don’t bother with the petrol engines and choose the peachy diesel: yes, it’s preferable even to the mighty M6, which somehow misses the target.

Driving

The outside world is a remote place in the new Six coupe. Gone are any sensations of speed or intimacy with the road. Capable of careering down the autobahn at 155mph, and it’ll corner at obscene speeds, but you always feel like you’re sitting in a plush hotel bed holding a steering wheel.

Inside, fit and finish are on a par with Audi, and because its such a good cruiser, it’s actually comfortable to live with, unlike its swaggering, brash predecessor.

You get a choice of a 640d, a 650i twin-turbo V8 with 407bhp and the 640i turbocharged straight-six, packing 320bhp. Ruddy impressive, that last one - 0-62mph takes 5.4 seconds and it’ll top out at, surprise surprise, 155mph - but it’s not adorable. It lack the electrifying noise of old-school unblown BMW sixes.

On the inside

It’s a big GT, and its huge inside. There’s a decent-sized boot at 460 litres, but because it’s so low and so wide, its probably not the easiest thing to park in a tight space.

Owning

The 640i claims 36.7mpg and the 650i 26.6mpg, so good luck trying to avoid the fuel station. The 640d manages a much better 51.4mpg while emitting 144g/km of CO2; not bad when you consider it’ll still hit 62mph in 5.5 seconds.

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